Message in a Bottle
by ZeldaG2016
Summary: Kidd's death has held a heavy burden on her heart for over a year now. Anastyn, feeling guilty, goes back to his grave to pay respects. With time there will be healing. A statement she will never forget.


**Message in a Bottle**

_A Kharn Fanfic written by ZeldaG2016_

_Minecraft is a product by Mojang. Settings belong to Resistance of Kharn._

* * *

_Dedicated to my close friend, FeignedMusician._

_Kidd will never be forgotten._

She sat in front of the grave, the headstone reading, 'Here lies Kidd, the master of the seas.' A tear fell from Anastyn's face and she wiped away the streak that remained. She sat on her knees in front of the grave and placed down a bouquet of red and yellow flowers with a small sigh.

"I promised you I'd come back, Kidd," she said aloud. "It's been some time since your passing and I still feel it to be my duty to come back and visit. I suppose I still feel responsible for your death. There's so much I didn't get to tell you..." her voice cracked, "... so much I wish I would have told you..."

Anastyn moved to lay down in the grass beside the tombstone. She looked up at the sky above her, the clouds moving slowly and the sun about to begin setting over the ocean in front of her.

"You know," she starts again. "To this day, I still think I could have done something different. Perhaps maybe, if I had made an attempt to tell you sooner, I could have saved you. I often wonder nowadays if you and I would have been together instead of Illthilior and I." She laughs a bit. "Maybe I would have agreed to go with you on your ship if I had understood."

She stood up and walked over to the edge of the shore, allowing the waves to wash over her sandals. Ana sighed once more as the silence once again hung over her. A gentle breeze passed. It was almost familiar to her, as if it was trying to remind her of a lost memory. She closed her eyes, the memories of Kidd slowly coming back to her one by one.

...

_"You don't have to hide your face, you know," Kidd said. "You're safe here."_

_"I've just always felt it necessary since I left my village," Anastyn replied._

_Ana sighed a bit, and then pulled back her hood. Kidd looked in a bit of surprise, noticing that she was an elf by her pointed ears._

_"See? That wasn't so hard." Kidd laughed a bit. "You look beautiful."_

_Anastyn still held her serious look but it softened. "I suppose I've just always been afraid. I never wanted to show my face to anyone."_

...

That was the first time that Anastyn ever truly revealed her face. Never once before did she ever remove her hood unless it was in her own time of privacy. To her, it was a barrier that protected her from the outside world. Her tunic was a way of convincing her that she would be safe from those hostile around her. Though, there was a true reason behind her need to keep long sleeves over her.

On her left arm, she carried a deep scar. One that extended from the tips of her fingers all the way up to her shoulder. She treated the scar as a burden, a reminder, of her never-ending hatred for bandits.

Anastyn is now almost a year older and since then the scar was removed by a runic doctor in Kharn. She now lives her life in what peace she can have.

...

_"I... I don't know how to tell you this, but Alex turned me. I was afraid to confront you about it. I was afraid that you would think I had betrayed you..." Anastyn turned away from him, unable to meet his gaze._

_Kidd put his hands on her shoulders. "Anastyn, I don't care. I spent days in the Resistance's search party to find you. No one had seen you for ages. You're back now. That's what I care about."_

_Tears fell from Anastyn's face as she passed him a letter. She had written it, telling of her capture at the Confederacy's camp and when she was infected with the plague. She told him about how Alex removed the disease but resulted in turning her into a vampire._

_"Ana... I never knew... I'm so sorry..." Kidd looked up from the letter, understanding why she felt the need to hide away from him and her friends._

_A moment of silence passes before Ana finally meets his eyes. _

_"Kidd, I never could find the courage to tell you... but I love you."_

...

Ana opened her eyes again, though she was holding back tears. Tears that she didn't want Kidd to see if his spirit was nearby her. Even though he had long since passed, long since she became a normal elf once more, she still felt that he knew when she was present at his grave. At times, she almost swore she could hear him still when she visited. However, it didn't matter how many times she reassured herself that he was happy or that she could face death. She still cried.

"Even this much time later... I still miss you..."

His dying words echoed in her ears. _'I always loved you.'_

The sun was setting. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you..." Anastyn covers her face with her hands. "You were just gone too soon..."

For minutes on end she continued to cry. The waves came in closer and closer. She murmurs, "Not a single day goes by..."

Then, she spots a small glass bottle just a bit in front of her within arm's length. Wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, she then goes to pick up the mysterious bottle. It is perfectly clear but inside it is a rolled up note. She removes the cork from the bottle and pulls out the note.

Anastyn reads it aloud. "With time comes healing. Even in the shadows there will be a light forever guiding you in the starry sky above."

She looks up to the sky, the first few stars now becoming visible. There is no name listed on the paper. It is anonymous. However, Anastyn feels she understands. She stands up, brushing the sand from the base of her dress.

"Thanks, Kidd..."

The feeling of a hand touches her shoulder but, when she turns around to see who is there, she only sees the sight of Kidd's grave behind her. She smiles gently.

"One day I promise I'll make this up to you."


End file.
